Stratford Businesses Expand with $2.5M in Government Funding Support

Ontario has partnered with four companies in the Stratford and Perth County to support funding for facility expansion and to purchase equipment. As a result of these business expansion projects, 71 new jobs will be created and will support the long-term retention of another 610 jobs.

The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund provides up to 10-15% of eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $1.5 million in non-repayable grant funding.

The Ontario government funding is being provided by the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF), which places a focus on  large scale capital investments for small businesses in rural areas. Eligible sectors for SWODF include advanced manufacturing, information and communications technology (ICT), processing, life sciences, cultural industries and tourism.

Successful Business Expansion Projects with SWODF

The Government of Canada provided over $2.5 million to four companies through the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) to support the additional capital the businesses invested themselves. The Stratford-based companies include:

• Atwood Heritage Processing Inc.
• C.R. Plastic Products Inc.
• FIO Automotive Canada Corporation
• Hayashi Canada Inc.

The funding assisted these companies in accomplishing their project goals while promoting job creation and preservation.

New Facility Project

Atwood Heritage Processing Inc. is an authentic gluten-free and dairy-free meat processing company based in Atwood, Ontario. Their focus is to produce meats using traditional Mennonite manufacturing for products like, summer sausages and pepperettes.

With support from SWODF, a goal to build a 6,800 square foot facility and purchase new production equipment was met. This will lead to a doubling in the company’s annual production through new services such as an online platform to sell their products.

Global Distribution Project

C.R. Plastic Products Inc. manufactures outdoor furniture out of 100% recycled materials, transforming milk jugs, bottle caps and recycled plastics to beautiful tables, chairs and more. For a company that is making such sustainable innovations, it is important that Ontario helps further their expansion.

With SWODF funding, a need for an increase in productivity, product line expansion and global distribution, led C.R. Plastic Products to invest in new equipment, such as a robotic assembly line. These investments will provide the company with a competitive edge upon entering new markets.

Productive Equipment Project

FIO Automotive Canada Corporation is a Canadian subsidiary of Futaba Industrial of Japan. The company produces and supplies automotive body parts out of a manufacturing plant in Stratford, Ontario, exclusively for the Toyota group.

With assistance from SWODF, the company can purchase automated guided vehicles to aid in transporting materials. In addition, the company is working to design, manufacture and install automated welding equipment. These improvements will not only increase productivity, but also promote employees to higher skilled jobs.

Facility Expansion Project

Hayashi Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of Hayashi Telempu North America Corporation. The Stratford-based company has a core focus on manufacturing automotive interior trim parts for Toyota and Honda.

This company can now undergo a large expansion of their manufacturing facility and purchase new equipment, due to support from SWODF. These enrichments will increase efficiencies by reducing costs and increasing productivity for business activities.

Access more blog posts about the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund.

About the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund

The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund is ideal for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking funding to support business expansion projects. Funding supports the development of new infrastructure and large-scale equipment purchases.

SWODF funding provides up to 10-15% of expenses to a maximum of $1.5 million in Ontario government funding to support a wide range of business expansion projects.

To be eligible for SWODF, businesses must:

• Have been operating in Southwestern Ontario for at least three years;
• Have 10+ full-time employees; and
• Maintain a project budget greater than $500k.

Take a look at some key tips on Expanding Production in Canada to learn about different expansion projects.